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Lavish looks can tempt the best of us in. Modernist day dreams seem like they can be fulfilled in the shining beacon of LA. This is all well and good until the makeup is rubbed off and the masks fall away, a concept Allie X explores in her new album Super Sunset. Hidden with references to her own music, she puts her identity crisis to pop. Taking you by the hand, taking off your rose-tinted glasses, she leads you to the dark side of LA.
Allie X is relatively unknown but has produced an EP, CollXtion I and an album, CollXtion II. Although she doesn’t have an extensive back catalogue, both the EP and album are filled with heavenly pop. There is always a hint of the ‘80s. The soaring synths and the heavy bass create a soundtrack that Stranger Things would be proud of. Super Sunset continues and builds on this unique sound that feels just as familiar. This modernist pop is reminiscent of artists like Kim Petras and Troye Sivan, the latter of which Allie X has worked with.
In a Billboard interview, X described her sophomore album as a “search for connection in a heartless place.” This search starts in the setting of LA with songs such as ‘Little Things’ but delves deeper with songs like ‘Science’. Determination rips through ‘Little Things’ as the singer’s identity crisis takes on a form of its own. Allie X has created many identities to compliment this album which reflects on how she has needed to mould herself into so many different characters just to get through everyday life. She has been influenced by drag in particular and in her album art and single covers there are images of the sci-fi girl, the Hollywood starlet and the nun. These figures are so beautiful they’re grotesque, so fake they mock beauty.
The album opens with a cinematic soundtrack from the ‘60s, a sweeping musical introduction to an album that rips apart any romanticism associated with the city of angels. ‘Not So Bad in LA’ tries to ironically reassure those who want to go the palm tree-lined boulevards for fame. The slow simple beat is as hypnotic as the haunting vocals that drift in and out of the background. The inner conflict pop continues with ‘Can’t Stop Now’, transcending all eras of past and present pop, it acts as a breather midway through the album. The beat skips along without a care but the lyrics literally say something completely different. They portray a Dorothy whose red slippers don’t seem to take her home anymore but lead her up the walk of fame with a bitter taste in her mouth.
Whilst tackling the darkness of Los Angeles, Allie X clings to the lightness of love. ‘Science’ and ‘Focus’ can be considered the highlights of the album as they flow beautifully into pop masterpieces. They have a perfect balance of synthy beats that work in tandem with Allie X’s vocals which are soft and comforting, finishing the album perfectly.
